The child protection law will be further tightened, possibly within weeks, a government official told a press conference on Thursday, 10 April, adding that the measures so far had led to a growing number of investigations of crimes connected to child abuse.
An amendment proposal of the child protection law will be soon submitted to parliament, with a view of making children even safer from child abusers, Bence Rétvári, a state secretary of the interior ministry, announce.
Currently, 211 police officers are working on cases of child abuse nationwide,
Rétvári, who is also an MP for the governing Fidesz–KDNP coalition said. Criminal proceedings of crimes against children have been launched in 444 cases this year alone, and 1,035 investigations are currently under way, he went on to state. More than half of the cases concern child pornography, over 10 per cent of the cases are coercion, while the rest are connectedto sexual assault, abuse, or soliciting child prostitution, he said.
Most of the crimes are committed at home, others in children’s homes and some in schools, Rétvari pointed. Besides Hungarians, Ukrainian, Russian and Romanian nationals are also being investigated, he added.
The authorities’ forceful action is expected to reduce latency and unresolved cases,
Secretary Rétvári said.
Deputy Police Chief Sándor Töreki said that the number of procedures investigating child abuse grew to 571 in 2023, from 408 in 2002. A total of 124 investigations in cases of crimes against children have already been concluded this year, he added.
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Sources: MTI/Hungarian Conservative
